2003 Hyundai Santa Fe

2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WITH DEFECTIVE AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE MECHANIC HOOKED THE VEHICLE UP TO THE SCANNER THAT CAME ACROSS THAT PROBLEM. IT WILL COST ALMOST $400 DOLLARS TO HAVE THE AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE REPLACED. *KB THE DEALER STATED THERE WAS AN INTERNAL FAULT CODE CAUSING THE AIR BAG LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. THE OIL PAN WAS LEAKING. *JB

WENT TO THE DEALER TO GET MY VEHICLE FIXED 4 TIMES AND GOT CHARGED FOR A TUNE UP THAT I DID NOT NEED. THE LAST AND 4TH TIME WHEN PICKING UP MY VEHICLE , THEY HAD THE PARTS OUT AFTER I HAD TOLD THEM 2 TIMES NOT TO WORK ON IT ANYMORE AND THEY TOOK IT APART ANYWAY. THEY TOLD ME I NEEDED TO TOW IT OUT OF THEIR SHOP . I TOLD THEM I WANTED THE CAR BACK JUST THE WAY I BROUGHT IT THERE . THEY GAVE MY A MUCH STRESSFUL HARD TIME FINALLY THEY PUT IT BACK AND I GOT IT BACK THE NEXT DAY IN WORST CONDITION. THERE IS A LOT MORE STORY BUT NOT ENOUGH LETTERS LEFT SO I WILL END IT HERE FOR NOW. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE HAS BEEN A CONTINUOUS HESITATION AND SURGING OF THE VEHICLE, AS WELL AS, EXTREMELY POOR GAS MILEAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A SERVICE DEALER, THE HESITATION AND SURGE COULD NOT BE RECREATED AND NO PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED. WHEN INSPECTED AGAIN BY THE SAME SERVICE DEALER, A DETACHED CABLE WAS FOUND UNDER THE VEHICLE. THERE WAS ALSO A SPRING UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FOUND TO BE DISCONNECTED. ONCE THE ITEMS WERE REPAIRED, THE MILEAGE IMPROVED, BUT THE HESITATION AND SURGING CONTINUED. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND CONFIRMED THERE WAS IN FACT A HESITATION AND A SURGING. ON THE NEXT VISIT TO THE SERVICE DEALER, A KNOCK SENSOR WAS REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED WHO RECOMMENDED THE CONTACT TRY ANOTHER SERVICE DEALER. UPON INSPECTION BY ANOTHER SERVICE DEALER, THE KNOCK SENSOR WAS OBSERVE TO BE LOOSE AND IT WAS CRIMPED TO TIGHTEN IT. HOWEVER, THE HESITATION AND SURGING CONTINUED. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAS STALLED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. UPDATED 08/25/06. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ENGINE FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THIS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND WHILE AT A STOP. UPON INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE IT WAS NOTICED THE UNDERCARRIAGE HAD CORROSION, THE WINDSHIELD WAS ETCHED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE ABOVE THE WINDSHIELD WIPER, AND THE VEHICLE VIBRATED. THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN ALERTED.

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE STALLED. DRIVER WAS NOT ABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE, AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AND REPLACE IT. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THEN, MECHANIC REPLACED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT RELAY, FUEL SENSOR ASSEMBLY, AND THE COMPUTER MODULE. *AK CONSUMER STATED THERE HAS BEEN 6 INCIDENTS/FAILURES THAT ARE CAUSING SERIOUS CONCERNS WITH STARTING AND STALLING. IT BECAME MORE FREQUENT AND STARTED HAPPENING WHILE DRIVING SANTA FE ON ROADS AND HIGHWAY. CONSUMER HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE VEHICLE AND FEAR OF IT STALLING IN THE CENTER LANE WHERE THERE IS LITTLE OPTIONS EXCEPT GETTING HIT AND POSSIBLE GETTING SERIOUSLY INJURED. *BF

ON NOVEMBER 5, 2004 AT APPROX 7:30 PM OUR 2003 SANTA FE WITH ONLY APPROX 14,000 MILES SUDDENLY "DIED" IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. ALL OF THE VEHICLE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON, THE HEATER AND RADIO BEGAN MAKING STRANGE NOISES, THE HEADLAMPS FAILED, AND THE VEHICLE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING AND WOULD NOT START, LEAVING THE VEHICLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, STRANDING ME AND MY PREGNANT WIFE, WITH NO LIGHTS OR FLASHERS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD ON A COLD NIGHT. HYUNADAI ROADSIDE SERVICE CONTRACTOR CROSS COUNTRY MOTORCLUB CLAIMED THAT IT WOULD TAKE OVER 3 HOURS TO GET THE VEHICLE TOWED, SO FINALLY 9 AFTER NEARLY 2 HOURS) COUNTY POLICE TOWED THE VEHICLE AS A TRAFFIC HAZARD TO FAIRFAX HYUNDAI. *JB

ON 10/23/04, MY 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WITH 21,600 MILES, BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE A VERY LOW IDLE AND THEN STALLED OUT EACH TIME I HAD TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN OR A STOP LIGHT. I COULD START THE VEHICLE WITHOUT A PROBLEM EACH TIME BUT AS SOON AS I WOULD SHIFT INTO "DRIVE", THE CAR WOULD REPEAT THE LOW IDLE/STALL OUT PROCESS AND I COULD NOT MOVE THE CAR AN INCH. THE CAR HAD TO BE FLATBED TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY DROVE THE CAR AND HOOKED THE CAR UP TO THE COMPUTER BUT COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR FIND A REASON FOR THE PROBLEM. ON 10/29/04, TWO DAYS AFTER I PICKED THE CAR UP FROM THE DEALERSHIP WITH A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH, THE EXACT SAME SCENARIO OCCURRED AGAIN AND THE CAR WAS AGAIN FLATBED TOWED TO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP TO TRY TO GET ANOTHER MECHANIC'S VIEW OF THE SITUATION. THEY ALSO COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND NOTHING WAS FOUND WRONG WITH THE CAR. I AM UNABLE TO RELY ON THIS VEHICLE BUT AM FRUSTRATED THAT 2 DIFFERENT HYUNDAI DEALERSHIPS CANNOT SEEM TO DISCOVER THE PROBLEM. THEY KEEP TELLING ME "THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR".*JB

AT 5,980 MILES ENGINE STARTED TO CREATE ENGINE NOISE. DEALER SAID THAT THERE'S A PROBLEM ON THE VEHICLE'S CRANKSHAFT. *LA THE CONSUMER BEGAN TO HEAR NOISE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE DEALER REPLACED MANY COMPONENTS; CRANKSHAFT, TRANSMISSION, BELT TENSIONER AND PULLEY. NONE OF THOSE REPAIRS CORRECTED THE NOISE. THE CLOCK SPRING FAILED AND CAUSED THE HORN AND CRUISE CONTROL TO BE INOPERATIVE. *NM

I PURCHASED A 2003 SANTA FE LX 4WD WITH THE 2.7L ENGINE. ALMOST FROM THE TIME I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, IT HAS BEEN SUFFERING FROM A SULFUR SMELL. THE DEALER MADE ONE REPAIR THAT SEEMED TO LAST FOR ABOUT A WEEK, UNFORTUNATELY, THE ODOUR IS BACK. THE DEALER CLAIMS THAT THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE THIS CONCERN, HOWEVER, THEY ONLY DRIVE THE VEHICLE 2 OR 3 MILES WHEN I TAKE IT TO THEM TO BE SERVICED. FUNNY HOW EVERYONE EXCEPT THE DEALER CAN SMELL THIS FOUL DISGUSTING ODOR. *AK